JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar on Wednesday met Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and formally staked claim to form the next government, setting the stage for his record 10th term as Chief Minister. He was accompanied by senior leaders of the NDA.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar was unanimously elected the leader of the NDA legislative party, clearing the final political hurdle on his return to the top post.
Nitish Kumar led the NDA to a historic victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, steering the alliance to a sweeping win with 202 seats in the 243-member House.
In a crucial meeting of the newly elected MLAs held in the Central Hall of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, BJP legislative party leader Samrat Choudhary proposed Nitish Kumar’s name as the NDA leader, which was seconded by Vijay Kumar Sinha, deputy leader of the BJP legislative party.
Nitish Kumar is scheduled to take oath as Chief Minister of Bihar at 11 am on Thursday, along with his council of ministers, at a swearing-in ceremony being organised at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, and several Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states will also be present on the occasion.
Gandhi Maidan has been a significant venue for chief minister swearing-in ceremonies, as two prominent Bihar leaders, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad, began their respective tenures from this very ground. Nitish Kumar took the oath here three times (2015, 2010, 2005), while Lalu Prasad took the oath once (1990).
Earlier, separate legislative party meetings of the JD(U) and the BJP were held. In the BJP meeting, Samrat Choudhary was elected leader and Vijay Kumar Sinha deputy leader. At the JD(U) legislative party meeting held at the Chief Minister’s residence, Nitish Kumar was unanimously chosen as the JD(U) leader.
Meanwhile, the shape of the new cabinet is being finalised. It has already been decided that Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha will continue as Deputy Chief Ministers. The BJP is likely to retain many of its former ministers. Nitish Kumar is also expected to repeat several of his previous ministers.
From the JD(U), Nitish Kumar’s close aides Vijay Choudhary, Ashok Choudhary, and Bijendra Prasad Yadav are certain to become ministers. Shravan Kumar, Lesi Singh, Madan Sahni, and Shyam Rajak are also being discussed.
JD(U)’s Zama Khan is the only Muslim MLA elected on an NDA ticket, making it almost certain that he will again become the Minority Affairs Minister.
Apart from Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, the important BJP leaders expected to take oath on Thursday are Mangal Pandey, Nitish Mishra, Renu Devi, Nitin Navin, Prem Kumar, Ram Kripal Yadav, Jibesh Kumar Mishra, and Neeraj Kumar Singh. The BJP quota may also include 2-3 new faces.
From Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas), Raju Tiwari and Sanjay Paswan are being considered for ministerial positions. Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son Santosh Suman from Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha’s wife Snehlata Kushwaha from Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) are expected to join the cabinet.